We have a 2012 Honda Civic with 30,000k miles. I have changed the oil every 5k. miles. I just got transferred and now work about 70 miles(round trip) from home. There is traffic some of the ways so there is some of that kind of driving. Our money, like many, is tight and we really want to keep this car going for as long as possible and with the least amount of problems. Can anyone suggest some things that should be done to the car at certain intervals or some tips. Is doing just what the manual suggests enough? Thanks you very much.
Yes, just follow the manual. The only exception is often with regards to an automatic transmission. Many service schedules never tell people to service the transmission (calling the fluid “lifetime”) or give ridiculously long service intervals. I don’t know the transmissions in these cars, so I can’t tell you what should be done to service it. (Typical would be a pan / filter service about every 30-40K miles, but not all can be serviced that way). If you want to worry about it, find a locally-owned (NOT a chain store) transmission shop with an excellent reputation and ask there. Other than that, follow the manual.
I would go to the dealer and get the transmission serviced. I just had mine done at the Toyota dealer and it was only $85. I could barely buy the 6qts of fluid, filter and gasket for that. Honda used to require drain, fill, drain again, replace filter and fill again. That way they would get almost all the fluid replaced. I would also want only their fluid with their additives in it.
Thanks so much for e feedback. Funny you guys talk about the tranny. I brought the car into Honda about a year ago cause the tranny would stay in gear longer than it should( not sure what it’s called…rpm would go high but then it would shift ). It would only do it once in a while and mostly when slowing down. They could not find anything which I figured because it happens so intermittently. I have not rotated the tires yet. I plan on keeping the car about 5 -6 more years.
Like @cigroller said, service the transmission regularly. It’s cheap insurance. I recommend transmission fluid service at every 30K service for cars with automatic transmissions. Half of the people thank me for looking out for such an expensive to replace item, half of the people think I’m ripping them because the owner’s manual clearly states no service is needed for the life of the car.
Surely the tires have been rotated at least once at some service.
Find a local garage you can trust, follow the factory recommended service and have them point out any problems they find.
tiznow0621 wrote:
I brought the car into Honda about a year ago cause the tranny would stay in gear longer than it should( not sure what it’s called…rpm would go high but then it would shift ). It would only do it once in a while and mostly when slowing down. They could not find anything which I figured because it happens so intermittently.
I suggest bringing it in again for this problem now and then once more before the warranty runs out, in case the problem gets worse after the warranty ends. Normally, if you report a problem during the warranty period that they don’t fix, they’re still responsible for fixing it after the warranty is up. It would be best to have several attempts in the service history, not just the one from a year ago.
Thanks guys…i’m going to bring it in for them to look at it again and change the tranny fluid. I called the service dept. today and the tech said they really don;t drop the pan and change the gasket and filter unless there is a problem and I should only change the tranny fluid.
Is that car a standard auto? if so all you have to do is remove drain plug and drop the tranny fluid and refill with 2.5 Qts of Honda fluid(dont use substitutes except in an emergency) what kind of mileage do you get? We have 2-08 Civics and average around 37 mpg-Kevin
If you don’t have a dipstick to check the ATF, then you need to have the fluid changed at the dealer. I think your dealer is right about dropping the pan. older Honda AT did not even have a pan to drop, don’t know about the newer ones.
Also, if you don’t have a drain dipstick, it may take a machine that pumps the ATF into the transmission, not a DIY project anymore. If that is the case, have it done at a dealer because an Independent mechanics machine will have other types of ATF in it. Only use Honda ATF.
BTW Honda changed the ATF formula because the older Z1 ATF had issues with delayed shifting in cold weather. The new ATF is DM1. Your car might have been produced before the new ATF made it to the production line.
Other than the transmission, just follow the maintenance schedule in the owners manual.
My 2012 Honda was running hard and using a lot of gas. I had already had the oil changed, so I called my service guy. He looked up my records there (I lived in another state for the first 2 years that I owned the car) and noted that the transmission fluid had not been changed since I started bringing my car to them. He told me it should be changed every 30,000 miles. My car has 55,000. And I’ve recently been driving an hour each way to radiation treatments 5 days a week, which was when I noticed the difference. I had it done, and it was $200. As another poster said though, they drain, fill, drain, and fill again. My car is running like new again. So if you have the money, definitely have it done. It will save on wear on your transmission, as well as saving on gas. This is my 3rd Civic. The first had well over 200,000 miles when I traded it in. The second one was totaled in an accident when it was 9 years old. It was like a new car when it was wrecked. This one will likely be traded in on a Pilot next year because I am disabled and have trouble getting out of my Civic these days. Otherwise, I would keep it. Civics are hands down, the best cars in their class. Which is why I’ll be sticking with Honda when I buy a car that sits higher and is easier to get out of. Best of luck to you.